State sues Anchorage RV rental company alleging deceptive business practices

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – The State of Alaska is suing an Anchorage RV rental company and its owners, alleging deceptive practices.

The lawsuit against Alaska Motor Home, Inc. by Alaska Attorney General Treg Taylor claims the company charged patrons $2,500 damage deposits before RV’s were picked up, charged consumers taxes which were not owed, and forged a customer’s signature on receipts to win a credit card chargeback dispute.

One Texas man, Harold Smith, told Alaska’s News Source on Friday he made a reservation for an RV rental with Alaska Motor Home in September 2023 for a trip in June 2024. A rental confirmation shows Smith paid $5,500 upfront to lock in the 2023 rate.

Imagine his surprise when six days before his planned Alaskan adventure, he received a letter saying the company was going out of business.

“Well, we were pretty ticked off,” Smith said. “We are scheduled to pick up this motorhome on June 19 … couple days. So we scrambled and secured another motorhome that is costing us a couple $1,000 extra.”

Smith, his wife, and sister-in-law plan to be in Alaska for three weeks. He says they’ve been to the state before and had rented an RV from a different company but decided on Alaska Motor Home for this booking specifically because of the price.

“We have contacted our credit card company, and they are investigating, but they said it is outside of the time period that they normally would charge back,” Smith said. “So that’s all up in the air right now.”

Smith is only one of possibly hundreds of customers affected, according to Assistant Attorney General for Alaska John Haley.

“I hate to say it, [but] I do think this is a little bit of a black eye on the tourism industry,” Haley said. “It’s unfortunate to have this many people having the reservation canceled. I’m sure it’s going to be difficult for them to find new accommodations and new transportation and have that dream Alaska vacation at the last second.”

This isn’t Alaska Motor Home’s first legal brush with the State of Alaska.

“We’ve sued them before in 2019 and settled that case in 2021, I believe,” Haley said.

The lawsuit alleges that the company and owners, Peter and Cole Harkovitch, violated the injunction entered in 2019.

“We’re going to do our best to try and help people. We’re going to try and recover as much money as we can, whether from the company or possibly from the individuals,” Haley said.

The state said it believes the company’s decision to cease operations relates to Peter Harkovitch currently being incarcerated in Florida. He’s awaiting trial on charges relating to domestic violence and threatening a law enforcement officer.

“They claim that [Peter’s] wife took the company’s cash reserves, and they lacked funding for that,” Haley said.

The Smith family still plans on visiting Alaska next week, but the question of whether or not they get their money back from Alaska Motor Home looms like a dark cloud.

“I’m glad there is action being taken against them,” Smith said.

“I was kind of wondering, you know, if we get this chargeback from the credit card company, who’s really footing that bill?” he asked. “Is my bank going to have to foot this bill? You know, this just sounds like a scam that these people are pulling on us.”

The Department of Law says any consumer who had reservations with Alaska Motor Home can file consumer complaints with the Alaska Attorney General’s Office. No guarantees will be made that restitution and reimbursement are possible. It’s encouraged to review your credit card provider’s rules and agreements to see if you may be eligible for a chargeback.

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